1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic flash on/off power control switch having a camera control feature and, more particularly, to an extendable, grip type, electronic flash on/off power control switch having means for simultaneously controlling the mode of operation for the camera connected thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A compact electronic flash or strobe as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,295, entitled "Compact Accessory Strobe For Cameras With Battery Enclosed Film Pack", by R. Kee, issued Feb. 14, 1978, is adapted for direct connection to a Polaroid SX-70 Land camera or the like. Once the electronic flash is connected to a film cassette laden camera, a battery located within the film cassette provides a steady state voltage which is utilized by the flash to charge a strobe capacitor. A storage capacitor can thereafter be triggered at an appropriate instant during the camera exposure interval by a select trigger signal furnished from the camera so as to discharge the capacitor through a flashtube to provide a source of artificial illumination. Connection from the camera to the flash is made from a flash array receiving socket on top of the camera exposure housing as well as from a remote actuator button socket on the side of the camera exposure housing.
The SX-70 Land camera has an exposure control circuit which is convertible between an ambient and flash mode of operation. The flash includes a connector blade extending outwardly therefrom for receipt within the flash array receiving socket on top of the camera exposure housing in a well-known manner. The connector blade from the flash includes an electrically conductive strip which operates to bridge a pair of spaced contacts in the camera receiving socket to convert the exposure control circuit of the camera from an ambient mode of operation to a flash mode of operation automatically upon the coupling of the flash to the camera flash array receiving socket in a manner as fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,643, entitled "Photoflash Apparatus", by J. Burgarella, issued Sept. 11, 1973.
The flash, which is attachable to the top of the camera in the foregoing manner, is also provided with a switch control apparatus which may be selectively extended into position so as to be engaged by the photographer when he holds the camera at its normally expected manner as fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,414, entitled "Electronic Flash Apparatus With Extendable On/Off Switch Control Apparatus", by J. Burgarella et al., issued Apr. 19, 1978. The switch control apparatus operates to apply power to the electronic flash so as to charge the flash capacitor and ready the flash for a subsequent exposure cycle.
As previously discussed, attachment of the flash to the flash array receiving socket on top of the camera exposure housing automatically operates to convert the exposure control circuit of the camera from an ambient mode of operation to a flash mode of operation. Thus, once the flash is connected to the camera, the photographer must make use of the flash and extend the switch control apparatus in the foregoing manner so as to turn on the flash. However, there may be situations in which the photographer might just like to physically connect the flash to the top of the camera exposure housing and still utilize the camera in its ambient exposure mode of operation without flashing the electronic flash.
Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an electronic flash adapted for releasable connection to a camera wherein the camera may thereafter be utilized in either an ambient or flash exposure mode of operation.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an electronic flash adapted for releasable connection to a camera wherein the camera may thereafter be utilized in an ambient mode of operation without artificial light when the strobe remains unpowered and in a flash mode of operation only when the strobe is powered by an independent on/off switch.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises a mechanism and system possessing the construction, the combination of elements and the arrangement of parts which are exemplifed in the following detailed disclosure.